Virtual Nerd'ing

[ non-geeks need to look away - notes about virtualisation on Linux ]



Years before I became a photo nerd, I was already a computer nerd with C/C++ and UNIX being favourite no-girlfriend past-times. Roll forward the years and now I can both.

Trap Focus: Shutter de-coupled, AF-ON and Fluxing

Hidding in a bush/behind the garbage waiting for something to come into view/focus and immediately want your Nikon to snap it? Trap focus is your friend. Along with the bugs/rats that are in your hidding place.

PocketWizards: Triggering a Remote Camera

This is one of those things that I always have to think twice before getting right, but this is how to remotely trigger your camera AND your lights which are attached to your Pocket Wizards PlusII units.

Prints: Holding on to the Physical - RAW workflow

Whilst all my photography has been limited to digital, there has always never been anything that compares to holding a physical (RGB) print. However, ensuring that your images are printed correctly needs careful attention and involves dealing with colour space/profiles and generating a final print in the print lab's required PPI.

Numbers: Show Me the Numbers..

I like numbers. Good numbers, like 8, and it's just so that I should get to know some more numbers when using my flashes/light modifiers.

Soundtrack to My Life

Music is a powerful thing and has always been around in my life. However, there have been some songs that have burned themselves into my mind as the definitive soundtrack that has punctuated my years.

High Speed Sync: Nikon Options (Revisited)

If you've ever needed to kill ambient midday or required to freeze action, then you'll know that insane shutter speeds are your friend. However, less friendly comes when flash is thrown into the mix.

With Nikon bodies and SB units you've got 3 options to acheive high speed sync (HSS) or auto FP sync (as per Nikon literature): CLS, radio triggers and optical slaves.

ISL: its the Law

The inverse square law (ISL) is one of those things that just annoys me as I keep confusing myself after I've learned it. When you look at it, its quite simple.

Hotshoe Action: Apollo vs Ezybox (clone) Comparison

Reasonable hotshoe softboxes only really come in 2 favours - the Westcott Apollo or the Lastolite Ezybox (incl the ebay clones). When I was trying to decide between the two, there wasn't really much consolidated information, so here's the science - Apollo 28" vs Ezybox 60x60cm (24") single diffusion panel clone.

Joining the 21st Century..

After years of being, what felt like the last person on Earth, without an iPod I finally joined the Apple family.

The Apollo has Landed

The Westcott Apollo 28" softbox is a speedlight softbox that I've been aware of for a long time now. Finally, I got myself a copy.

Shooting on White

I don't shoot much against a pure white background, but it's definitely something I should re-familiarise myself with as it gives another dimension for your subjects whether its for high key portraits where high key == happy and youthful so I understand, or for product lighting.



Someone commented that some of my stuff looked like it was lit inside a cave, so lets see how we can get outside.

Dull and Lifeless: web aRGB vs sRGB

Ever wondered why you have dull and lifeless hair images on the web when they are clean and full of colour on your PC/camera? It's most likely that the colour space is wrong (ie not sRGB).

Metering: Don't Just Point and Shoot

Exposure with strobes in a totally controlled environment and also metering an ambient only scene.

The Machine Arrives: the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D

After reading and lusting after countless reviews I finally took the plunge and picked up the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D and it's everything that you'd expect, but there are certainly a couple of things you need to remind yourself when buying/using this.

Distance Matters, No Matter the Size

One thing that controls the amount of strobe light is the apertrure (the other is distance) so when someone posed the question, "My (AC powered) strobes, through my softbox, on the lowest power is still too much for my shooting aperture, what's my best options?", I was surprised to hear that people suggesting ND filters as supposed to moving the lights futher back.

Writing Like my Teachers Taught

As it's been said before, "it's not quite like the old days" and certainly as I get older I actually forget what started this rambling in the first place. But, I already digress - grammar and punctuation has never been my strong point, particularly since when I was taught it, I a) didn't understand it, b) pay attention, c) care. Nowadays, you wonder if all those points apply to schools - if not, perhaps not every idiot kid would be getting 15 top A grades. Nowadays, any idiot with a computer and a blogger account, ahem, can be a published author but it doesn't help standards.

DIY Justin Clamp

As part of my collecting/hoarding mentality I always thought the Manfrotto Justin Clamps (model# 175F) were a cool little tool but the 45GBP price always put me off.

I knew that Manfrotto made a spring clamp (model# 175) that didn't have the ballhead/hotshoe (which seems to be a Manfrotto 492 micro ballhead) so I wondered how easy it would be to be a Justin Stailey (without McNally).

Light meters: A Throw-Back or Is it Worth It?

In answering the Q myself: worth it!!

Recently got myself a(n old Minolta IVF) light meter after a friend at work brought his meter in. And, I've gotta admit, using a meter and hitting an exposure dead on (mostly) first time is kinda addictive.

But, how do we use a light meter exactly?

Strobe at f/what camera left...

"SB unit into softbox, camera left @ f/4" I read. The first time I saw something like that I went and looked at the back of my SB units to see how I could magically punch in f/4. And alas, I was mistaken, and misunderstood as are many newcomers to strobes.